If you are the friend, family or colleague of someone with MS, you could make a difference by:
- Being supportive. MS is a complex condition where different people experience different symptoms some of which may not be obvious to you.
- Avoiding saying “But you look so well!” Many people find this hugely frustrating as they may look OK on the outside but they are feeling really ill on the inside.
- Asking open questions such as “How are you today?” This allows someone with MS to choose from a whole range of possible answers from “really good” to “really struggling” and gives them the option to give some detail if they’d like to.
- Asking if there is anything that you can do to help right now. You could follow it up by encouraging them to tell you when you can help in the future. It can be very reassuring to know that you can call on someone if needed.
- Trying to learn about invisible symptoms so that you understand better.
- Listening!
- Accepting that invisible symptoms are very real to the person who is experiencing them.